Archive | family

HAPPY Mother’s Day to all you warrior mamas working, homeschooling, running the household and managing ALL THE THINGS! It’s a lot of work and we deserve some extra love and attention this year.. don’t you agree? I found the All About Mom Printable I created a few years ago and quickly printed it for my girls to fill out. I LOVE seeing their answers and it truly is the best gift that holds so much meaning. Scroll down for the FREE Printable and enjoy the little things in life a little bit more this Mother’s Day, because being a mama truly is the greatest gift! Xo

One of our favorite holiday traditions, is to gather around the Christmas tree or snuggle in our beds, and read Christmas books together. Each year, on Christmas Eve, my girls get to open one gift. It is always a Christmas book, with a sweet written message that I write to them. The excitement that they have, when I bring out the basket of Christmas books each year is pure joy! It’s a fun tradition, which carries sweet memories that we love to look back on.

Here are a few of our favorites, along with some new books I’ll be gifting to them this year..

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written a blog post. Four months, to be exact. While I feel like I’ve repeated myself often, and share that I am back to blogging.. life happens. And summer is gone in the blink of an eye! It’s the season of life that I am in. I have so many ideas and things to share, but then life gets busy. And I just can’t seem to find the time to sit at my computer to write a blog post.

But Fall has arrived, and we are back to a routine/schedule. It’s something that we all thrive on as a family. Chloe is in the 3rd Grade, and Capri started 4K. I miss having my girls home with me. Thankfully, Capri is only gone three days a week for 2.5 hours. I enjoy the few hours I get to myself, but I cannot wait to go pick her up. I miss her so much! The thought of her going to Kindergarten next year just brings me to tears.

A few weeks ago, we took our annual family vacation. We usually go to Disney World, but this year we opted for the beach! ..and have absolutely no regrets! It was exactly what our family needed. Being able to just relax and enjoy being together was pure bliss! We stayed at theOpal Sands Resort at Clearwater Beach, FL and loved it so much! We even had family photos taken (by Jommy Photography) that I just absolutely adore. I will definitely treasure the sweet moments and memories we made together.

I shared the quote on my Instagram “A day at the beach restores the soul,” and it is 100% true! I have some scheduled blog posts that I can’t wait to share. I’m hoping that now this “season of life” we are in is more structured, I can focus back on my blog again. Stay tuned for some fun new content!

Last weekend, we watched our beautiful Chloe Mae receive her First Eucharist. We are so incredibly proud of her. She has become so devoted and eager to learn what it means to receive the Eucharist of the Lord. It was a beautiful day, filled with family, friends and sunshine!

Last weekend we celebrated our beautiful girl, Chloe Mae. She turned 8 years old and has been obsessed with everything Disney Descendants. I have to admit, I wasn’t thrilled when she wanted this party theme, but together we made it fun.. and not too “wicked.” Here’s a peek at some of the party details..

I really enjoy these themed parties and dread the day that my girls no longer ask for them. My favorite part is planning them together and gathering their ideas too. As they are getting older, I cherish these moments with all my heart.

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day with your spouse over a romantic dinner? Or together as a family with your kids? We like to make it special with our little loves, and today I’m sharing a super simple recipe that’s so fun to get your kids involved, and “helping” in the kitchen.

Fruit Salsa with Heart Shaped Cinnamon Sugar Chips is the perfect appetizer or sweet treat for your Valentine’s Day dinner. It is so versatile, and can be used with a variety of different fruits. We used strawberries, raspberries and apples (to make it look pretty with pinks and reds). But, you can add pears, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple.. the list goes on!

I had Chloe (my older one) cut the fruit into tiny pieces, and then Capri (the youngest) mixed it all together. We all took turns with the cookie cutter shapes and sprinkling the cinnamon sugar. It was a fun activity and delicious treat that we were all able to create together.

Cinnamon Sugar Chips

Ingredients:

4-6 burrito-style tortillas

coconut oil cooking spray

cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut tortillas into appropriate shape with cookie cutter

Spray with cooking spray

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

Bake for 10-12 minutes

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool

Serve with fruit salsa or store in an airtight container

Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:

1 cup strawberries

1/2 cup raspberries

1 large apple

squeeze of citrus to prevent apples from browning (we used a squeeze of grapefruit)

Happy NEW Year! We had the best Christmas break filled with quality family time, fun with friends, good food and lots of laughter. We also celebrated my sweet baby girl turning FOUR!

Each year, we take our girls to the Nutcracker Ballet. It is honestly my favorite Christmas tradition. Last year, was Capri’s first time, and she absolutely LOVED it. Since then, she requested that her next Birthday was a ‘Nutcracker’ theme Birthday party. So for the past year, I’ve gathered some fun party accessories and had so much fun with all the details.

Seeing her face light up at the Nutcracker this year (and her dancing in the lobby), was just the greatest joy. This little girl is filled with so much sparkle and delight, and is such a gift to our family.

There’s something about Thanksgiving that just brings back the BEST memories from growing up. Gathering together at our Grandparents house, and celebrating the holidays with all of our Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, was always so much fun! And there’s nothing like having all the traditional Thanksgiving food, to remind me of all the special times we shared together.

One of my favorite recipes from Thanksgiving is my Grandma’s ‘Old Fashioned’ Cranberry-Orange Relish. I’ve taken that over, and prepare it as one of our most loved Thanksgiving side dishes. I still have her original recipe card that I cherish and love, and always chuckle to myself when I add a “jigger” of Brandy! Just maybe keep an extra dish for the kids without it. Ha! I am so amazed at how quick + simple it is, and can even be made a few days ahead of time. It’s a huge timesaver when you’re trying to prepare so many dishes at once.

My Mom and Dad now host Thanksgiving, and I love that they still carry on so many of the holiday traditions.. to make it all that more special for our kids. And I hope they carry on the same traditions.

HELLO! Ahh, it’s been quite a while since I blogged (July, to be exact) and I just cannot believe how much I miss it. I struggle with finding the balance to blog and be more present with my family, but I promise to try to do both. To start, I wanted to share the family photos we took a few weeks ago. They are definitely more casual than the past few years, but I sort of love that. Our girls are growing so so fast, and I cherish these family photos each and every year..

My very talented friend, Megan (from Under the Willow Photography), always seems to capture such great shots. My absolute favorites are the closeups of each of the girls.. those smiles melt my heart.

This past weekend, we celebrated Chloe turning SEVEN (I can’t believe I’m even typing that number), with family + friends ‘Under the Sea.’ We had so much fun planning, shopping, and creating all the party supplies for the event. We even set up a cute little photo booth for some fun + silly pics! Here’s a peek at all the special details..